The first round of IEM Melbourne has wrapped and one of the most interesting matchups of the second round is Team Falcons vs NaVi.
For both good and bad reasons, Team Falcons is one of the most-talked-about topics in Counter-Strike. A big part of that is the organization’s numerous unsuccessful attempts to put together a superteam packed with the game’s biggest names. That hasn’t really worked.
What has worked is acquiring an already successful team and plugging in some extra star power. The proof of concept came at PGL Bucharest, which Falcons won. The organization’s response? Shaking up its roster once again. How will the new Falcons hold up against NaVi?
NEW FALCONS! Falcons vs SAW – HIGHLIGHTS – IEM Melbourne 2025 | CS2
NaVi and Team Falcons will face off on April 22, 2025 in a best-of-three group stage match in IEM Melbourne 2025. The winner will advance forward and face the winner of Team Vitality vs Team Liquid. The loser will drop to the lower bracket and play against the winner of FlyQuest vs Virtus.pro.
NaVi’s 2025 has been defined by posting good-but-not-great placements in prominent tournaments. Those regular playoff runs are solid, but the team looks more like Aurora Gaming than the 2024 Copenhagen Major winners.
NaVi kicked off IEM Melbourne in style with a win over MIBR, using its longstanding roster:
NaVi has been proactive in bringing teams onto Mirage and the numbers show that’s a good idea, with a 13-6 record there over the last six months. Beyond that, NaVi has a mostly even record, with the only match where it’s provably shaky thus far being Dust 2, where it’s 3-6 over that same stretch.
Team Falcons won PGL Bucharest in surprise fashion but instead of celebrating, it scooped up one of G2 Esports’ biggest stars. The new look Falcons debuted with a win in IEM Melbourne over SAW, but have a lot to prove after another shakeup.
Here is the new Team Falcons roster:
Falcons has been actively going to Dust 2 and Ancient, and it has a winning record on both maps in 2025. That said, its best map has been Mirage, where it boasts an 8-4 record. Anubis also opts out of playing on Anubis, though the impact of m0NESY on the team is still uncertain.
NAVI vs MIBR – HIGHLIGHTS – IEM Melbourne 2025 | CS2
NaVi has not played against Falcons since the latter team’s January 2025 roster overhaul. The last match between NaVi and Falcons came in the 2024 BLAST Premier Fall Final.
Team Falcons is a slight favorite over NaVi in this group stage matchup, with the moneylines on either team standing at 1.78 and 2.01. While the sample size is small, betting sites are buying into Team Falcons’ new roster after just one match.
NaVi should be able to beat Team Falcons, though this match may hinge on which maps get through. There’s also still some uncertainty regarding how m0NESY fits in the Team Falcons roster. Still, this should be a competitive match.
Think you know who will win? Place your bets here!
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